Using the drain rope, interacting in pairs, procedures related to avoiding underwater obstacles – among others, soldiers from Poland and Germany were practicing during a joint diving on the wreck of the ORP “Delfin”. The planet War II trawler rests at the bottom of Puck Bay.
– The wreck is simply a very grateful training object. It stands right on the keel, a fewer nautical miles offshore, between Hel and the Mechelinks. The bottom is little than 20 m, so we can practice even with candidates for younger divers at this point – admits Captain Mar. Grzegorz Drózd from the Training Centre of the Polish Army in Gdynia. He besides mentions an additional taste – the erstwhile ORP trawler "Delfin" is the duplicate unit of the celebrated investigation ship "Calypso", which was set off by the expeditions of Jean-Yves Cousteau.
‘Delfin’ was a YMS base trawler. It was built in the early 1940s at the fresh York shipyard Robert Jacob Inc. and as part of the lend-lease’s handover to Britain. another units of the task served in the US Navy, the naval forces of the Free French, and even the russian Navy. After the war, most of them went to the demo. 1 bought a millionaire from Ireland Thomas Guinness, who then handed it over to the celebrated French deep sea explorer. Three another trawlers went to the Polish Navy. Among them was “Delfin”. Under the white-red flag, it served until 1959, then was stripped of the chimney, masts, armaments and parts of the superstructures, then sunk in the Puck Gulf. It was to be utilized for training – especially for diving adepts.
This time, however, OSNiP instructors went not with students but with experienced colleagues from Germany. Specifically, the Bundeswehr training centre in Starnberg. They arrived on board the ORP vessel ‘Zbyszko’ and went under water. Target: joint training. “We wanted to practice a fewer elements, even if utilizing the hollow rope,” Captain Mar recalls. The head. It is helpful erstwhile diving in low visibility, and erstwhile diving itself becomes a mention point. “On the line, we place flashers that emit light signals that facilitate orientation underwater,” the officer points out. The Baltic Sea is usually already 20 m deep and dark. Much depends not only on the weather, but besides on the season. – Paradoxically better dives in winter and autumn erstwhile the water is more transparent. In summertime we have more sunny days, but there is besides quite a few natural suspension in the water – Captain Mar admits. The head.
The divers did not halt at the bottom of the surface. “Underwater, we have been practicing working together in pairs, but besides procedures related to avoiding threats, specified as fishing nets,” the officer says. We didn't enter the wreck. This is prohibited by military diving procedures in autonomous equipment," he adds.
Training lasted all day. “For us, he was an chance to exchange experiences about diving techniques. The Germans could get utilized to the conditions at sea. all day, they train on a lake adjacent to their resort. It is much deeper than the Puck Bay, but it is an aquifer with a completely different speciality – says the Captain Mar. The head.
Diving was another installment of cooperation between centres from Gdynia and Starnberg. It was started 2 years ago. – Last year the Germans came to the ground in Ustka. Our instructors taught there a course for candidates for engineering divers and miners. Together with its participants they constructed various types of networks to blow up mines and unexploded bombs. The Germans conducted their classes in parallel. The instructors were able to share cognition and observations – explained Mr. Michał Drabarczyk, head of the OSNiP training section, and besides spokesperson for the facility. A akin task will be organised next year.
The centres besides organize joint exercises for their staff. – Germans had the chance to get acquainted with our base and come out with us in the Baltic. Our instructors were at their centre – informs Mr. Drabarczyk. The facility in Starnberg, as the Poles admit, has a very extended infrastructure. On the lake there, there are platforms that can be utilized for diving, and many installations for training are besides underwater. I had a chance to dive there. This is simply a truly interesting experience – says Captain Mar. The head. "With this cooperation we have the chance not only to learn something fresh from ourselves, but besides to practice with allies, based on NATO procedures. And this is simply a large value for our soldiers – adds Mr. Drabarczyk.
